We have Sabrevois and Steuben left to harvest but it will be a few days before the vineyards are dry enough to get the Harvester out for picking. The Steuben is a late harvest grape and because we have a very light crop this year, we’ll hand pick it late in September. Then, we’ll clean and put away the harvest equipment. This week, we’ll start removing mulberry trees in our Edelweiss vineyard. Blocs A and B are starting to look like a forest and not a vineyard. This is slow, time consuming work. We have to hook a chain on each tree (they are usually about six feet tall) and pull them out by their roots using a tractor. Some of these trunks are as much as two inches in diameter. The soft, wet ground will make it much easier to get the trees out. The wet weather has also created perfect conditions for fungus growth so we’ll also be spraying fungicide on mornings when the air is still.
